The European Union has imposed chemical weapons sanctions on nine Russian and Syrian officials, including the chief of Russia™s GRU military intelligence agency.
The European Union accuses those sanctioned of being responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria and for "possession, transport...

The dollar held near a two-week high on Monday, shrugging off concerns about weakening global growth and data showing China's economy slowed sharply in 2018.
The greenback has enjoyed its first weekly gain since mid-December, buoyed by hopes for a thaw in U.S.-China trade tensions and...

European stocks closed lower on Monday, after fresh data from China showed its economy grew at its slowest pace since 1990.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index provisionally sank 0.26 percent, with most sectors and major bourses in the red.
Market players monitored news of slowing growth in the...

China economy expanded at the slowest pace since the global financial crisis, as a domestic financial clean-up, weakening global demand and trade conflict with the U.S. all dampened momentum.
Gross domestic product rose 6.4 percent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, matching economists™ estimates, and compared with 6.5 percent in the previous three-month period. In December, gauges of consumption and factory output accelerated, while investment held up.
The world™s second-largest economy is on a long-term slowing trajectory as it shifts from the investment-led model of the past while carrying a heavy debt load. The government™s control of that process is being tested...

The UK retail sales contracted 0.9% over the month in December, missing market expectations by a small margin while core retail sales stripping the auto motor fuel sales also dropped 1.3% m/m.
On an annualized basis, the UK retail sales fell 3.0% in December versus 3.6% expected while the core retail sales also declined 2.6% in the reported month versus 3.5% previous and 3.9%...

The UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) 12-month rate came in at 2.1% in December, down from Novembers 2.3% and meeting the 2.1% print expected, the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the core inflation gauge (excluding volatile food and energy items) arrived at 1.9% y/y versus 1.8% booked in November while bettering the consensus forecast of 1.8%.
The...

The wholesale cost of U.S. goods and services posted the biggest decline in December in five months, another sign that lower gasoline prices have eased inflationary pressures in the economy
The producer price index dropped 0.2% last month. Economists polled by MarketWatch had predicted a 0.1% decline.
The increase in wholesale inflation over the past year was unchanged at 2.5%. The 12-month...

A key measure of U.S. inflation was little changed in December while falling energy prices dragged down the broader gauge, giving the Federal Reserve little urgency to raise interest rates soon as it signals a more cautious approach in 2019.
Excluding food and energy, the so-called core consumer price index rose 2.2 percent from a year earlier for a second month and...

The U.K. economy continued to lose momentum in the three months through November as manufacturing slumped.
Growth slowed to 0.3 percent from 0.4 percent in the period through October, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. In November alone, gross domestic product grew 0.2 percent.
Source : Bloomberg

Japanese wages rose more than expected in November, offering hope of stronger consumer spending that could fuel inflation if gains are sustained.
Overall labor cash earnings increased 2 percent from a year ago, compared with a 1.5 percent gain in October. The gain was the fourth increase of at least 2 percent in the last nine months.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has repeatedly called on companies...

Expansion in U.S. service industries slowed by more than expected in December to end the year on a weaker note as measures of business and employment fell, though new orders remained strong.
The Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing index declined to 57.6, the lowest since July and below the median estimate of economists for 58.5, according to a report Monday. The drop was led by...

The U.S. gained a whopping 312,000 new jobs in December to bring total employment gains in 2018 to a three-year high of 2.64 million.
Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a gain of 182,000 nonfarm jobs. The unemployment rate rose to 3.9% from a 49-year low of 3.7%, largely because more people entered the workforce in search of jobs.
The average wage paid to American workers climbed 11...

A gauge of U.S. manufacturing plunged last month by the most since October 2008, a fresh sign of deceleration in the economy amid global strains across the sector.
The Institute for Supply Management index dropped to a two-year low of 54.1, missing all estimates in Bloomberg's survey, data showed Thursday. All five main components declined, led by new...

The European Union has imposed chemical weapons sanctions on nine Russian and Syrian officials, including the chief of Russia™s GRU military intelligence agency.
The European Union accuses those sanctioned of being responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria and for "possession, transport...

The dollar held near a two-week high on Monday, shrugging off concerns about weakening global growth and data showing China's economy slowed sharply in 2018.
The greenback has enjoyed its first weekly gain since mid-December, buoyed by hopes for a thaw in U.S.-China trade tensions and...

European stocks closed lower on Monday, after fresh data from China showed its economy grew at its slowest pace since 1990.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index provisionally sank 0.26 percent, with most sectors and major bourses in the red.
Market players monitored news of slowing growth in the...